Parkland may ease signage rules for businesses

Parkland city officials are thinking along the lines of easing the city's signage code as the city currently has some of the strictest rules in the county.

The issue came up for discussion at a City Commission meeting and city officials are likely to debate the matter further at a workshop. The new development is likely to provide some cheer for businesses in the city, which have for long struggled to cope with the dual challenges of a cruel economy and signage rules that do them no favors.

Commissioner Jared Moskowitz brought up the topic while city officials were considering a request by the YMCA of Broward County to allow a second and bigger wall sign on the southwest side of the city's community center. The center houses the Parkland YMCA Family Center.

"I know we are comparing apples to oranges, but I don't want to send a message that some can and some can't. We have been very strict on the issue of signs so I am very hesitant to do this," Moskowitz said.

Mayor Michael Udine spoke next. "Jared raises an interesting point. We are going to have to look at some of the sign codes as it relates to commercial establishments. It is an issue that is becoming more and more important now. We need to figure this out so that future tenants can understand what their rights and responsibilities are."

"There are tenants that are looking at the Waterways, but they don't know if they want to put their business there if they can't put a sign up that is visible on 441," Udine said.

"We can't have two empty shopping centers on 441," Moskowitz said. "Signage is not the reason why businesses are going out, but we need to come up with something."

"We have [received] requests from every residential community in town," Moskowitz said. "They have all been approved. We need to have some sort of consistency; we need to look at how to ease some signage, as long as there are not four or five signs on one building."

The problems that businesses in the city face go well beyond the signage issue, Commissioner Mark Weissman said. "Signs are not the problem; the problem is the economy and the high rents they have to pay. We are not going to make the signs disappear when the economy improves."

At the end of the discussion, commissioners voted 5-0 to allow the second wall sign at the community center. City officials will discuss signage changes at a future workshop.